National Code of Practice
Section Q
HEAVY VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS
1. SCOPE
This Section relates to the fitting of Truck Mounted Lifting systems fitted to heavy vehicles and having
Slewing Bases, rated capacity between 1.0 metre tonne and 150 metre tonne.
Systems covered by this Section include:
•
Truck Mounted Cranes - rated at 1.0 metre tonne (MT) to 150 MT
•
Elevating Platforms
•
Concrete Pump Assemblies
2. GENERAL INFORMATION
Australian Standard 1418 Part 11 Cranes (including hoists and winches), is a base document for this
Section. A copy must be available for reference with any Certifying Officer who certifies modified vehicles
under this National Code of Practice.
3. ADR's AFFECTED
Where the vehicle manufacturer's specified GVM is not exceeded by the fitting of the Lifting System,
the modified vehicle must be reviewed to ensure that compliance with the following ADR's is not affected:
ADR 42/..
General Safety Requirements
ADR 43/..
Vehicle Configuration & Dimensions
ADR 13/..
Installation of Lighting.
If the vehicle manufacturer's specified GVM is exceeded by the fitting of the Lifting System, then the
vehicle must be demonstrated to comply with all ADR's, and with all appropriate sections of this National
Code of Practice.
4. AFFECTING MODIFICATIONS
These include modifications involving the fitment, with or without a sub frame of any of the following:
•
Hydraulically or Mechanically Operated Slewing Crane
•
Elevating Platform
•
Concrete Pump Assemblies
5. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
Any vehicle, new or used, fitted with a crane or other slewing lifting system, new or used, having a capacity
of between 1.0 metre tonne and 150 metre tonne, must be fitted with a modification plate, indicating
that the crane/truck combination meets the requirements of this code.
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Vehicles fitted with cranes of more than 10 metre tonne capacity may also require approval from other
State regulatory bodies before they are allowed to operate.
Vehicles fitted with a loading and lifting system that can slew must comply with the following:
•
The system must be of an approved type if the SWL is greater than 10.0T. The State or Territory
regulatory body controlling crane registration will issue an approval if the crane or device conforms.
•
The truck/ lifting system combination must be compatible in terms of lift capacity and loading, and
stable for all conditions of lifting in normal operation.
•
The installation method must conform to the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations and/or be
shown to have sufficient chassis reinforcement to withstand the load moment induced by the
lifting, within the chassis frame design limits.
•
Specifically, the fitment of the Lifting System must not result in the front and rear axles being loaded
beyond the manufacturer's ratings, in both stationary and travel mode.
•
All regulations concerning mass and dimension must be complied with and the crane or related
fittings must not contravene any Australian Design Rule to which the vehicle would normally
comply. Where an installation results in vehicle dimensions exceeding regulatory limits, the vehicle is
considered to be outside the scope of this Section.
•
If a lifting system installation involves modification to components covered by other modification
codes, then such modifications must conform to the relevant sections of this National Code of
Practice and must be certified separately.
The above requirements are covered by AS 1418 Part 11 which specifically deals with mobile cranes; it
also covers Vehicle Loading Cranes (VLC).
6. MANUFACTURING STANDARDS
If the truck loading cranes are designed and manufactured in Europe, they are likely to conform to the
relevant B.S., I.S.O., D.I.N., EN standards. These standards, being equivalent to AS 1418 part 11, are
acceptable.
Cranes and other lifting systems must conform to all relevant sections of AS 1418 part 11. Design
specifications for VLCs with an SWL greater than 10.0T must be verified by a Certifying Officer who is a
professional engineer registered as the Chartered Member of Engineers Australia (CPEng) or by a
certificate issued by the crane manufacturer. Any new and previously untried cranes or lifting systems
must be fully tested and evaluated.
7. STABILITY AND AXLE LOADING
AS 1418 Part 11 states that the Safe Working Load (SWL) must not be greater than 80% of the tipping load,
i.e. the load which has to be applied at the hood to tip the crane over.
In a truck loading crane, the crane column and boom or jib arrangement normally rotates (slews) to
facilitate loading or unloading from any position around the truck. This stability requirement must be
satisfied for all positions of the crane operation.
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Truck loading cranes are normally mounted in one of a number of positions. See examples shown in Figure
1, Appendix 1. The most common positions are:
•
Immediately behind the cab, in front of the truck body.
•
Behind the rear axle at the rear end of the body.
Examples of elevating platform and concrete pump installations are shown in Figures 2 & 3, Appendix 1.
7.1 Approval of Crane Fitment
The relevant Authority in the State or Territory for "crane" fitting shall approve the installation, including
stability testing as required by AS 1418 Part 11.
7.2 Cranes at Front of Truck Body
In these cases, there are 3 positions where tipping has to be considered. These are shown in Figure 4,
Appendix 2.
7.3 Cranes at Rear of Truck Body
In these cases, there are 2 positions where tipping has to be considered. These are shown in Figure 5,
Appendix 2.
7.4 Cranes in Other Positions
In these cases, the stability of the truck with extended crane boom must be analysed for all
configurations and the critical situations established.
7.5 Other Considerations
Before any crane or lifting system is mounted on to a truck, a calculation is required to:
•
Ensure that the front and rear axles will not be overloaded by the fitting.
•
Establish the available payload at which both stability and loading limitations are met. Apart from
the safety and legal considerations, a vehicle user would normally want to know the available
payload.
A typical weight distribution calculation is shown in Figure 6, Appendix 3.
8. LIFTING SYSTEM - ATTACHMENT TO CHASSIS - RECOMMENDATIONS
Most truck and crane manufacturers publish directions for mounting cranes and these should be
followed closely, wherever possible. Where no such direction exists, the following guidelines should be
adhered to:
8.1Sub frame
A sub-frame is to be fitted between the crane and chassis to spread the load moment of the crane along
the chassis side members. The sub-frame construction is to be as follows:
•
The sections used for the sub-frame and its attachment to the chassis must not result in restriction
of chassis flexibility.
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•
A full length sub-frame, starting from above the "front spring rear hanger'' is preferred especially for
rear mounted cranes. For cranes up to 6.0 metre tonne mounted on heavy or reinforced section,
such as a chassis used with a tandem bogie, a short sub-frame is normally satisfactory.
•
Open section sub-frame rails should be reinforced in the vicinity of their attachments to the
chassis. (See Figure 9, Appendix 6.)
•
Where the sub frame ends finish on the chassis top flange, the end should taper to avoid abrupt
changes in section stiffness. The sub-frame end underside should be chamfered or have suitable
radius, to prevent "digging in" to the chassis top flange. (See Figure 10, Appendix 6.)
•
The sub-frame section should be such that the combined section modulus results in a chassis
bending stress of not more than 30% of the material yield stress, under the action of the crane
rated load moment. Note that most commercially available channel and rolled section material has
a yield limit of 250MPa.
8.2 Crane to Sub-frame Attachment
The method of crane attachment to the sub-frame can vary according to the sub frame design and its
position on the chassis. Examples of optional methods are illustrated in Appendix 6. Figures 12, 13 and 15
show recommended practices. Figures 14 and 16 show practices that are not preferred or not
recommended, while Figure 17 shows practices that are not acceptable. In general, the following
details should be noted:
•
Crane to sub-frame/chassis mounting bolts, or studs, should be of equivalent strength to SAE grade 8,
unless a lower grade is specified by the crane manufacturer. The fastener tensile stress, induced
by the crane load moment, should not exceed 20% of the material yield stress.

The crane must be attached to the sub-frame/ chassis with the mounting bolt layout
according to the crane manufactures technical guidelines.

“Mixing and Matching” of alternative layouts, not permitted
•
Non-collapsing washers must be used with the fasteners and self-locking nuts, or suitable
equivalent, used to prevent loosening.
•
Movement between the crane and sub frame must be prevented by attachment of blocks, or
stops, as shown in Figure 11, Appendix 6.
Note: The above recommendations refer to truck loading cranes mounted in conventional positions on
standard trucks, but the principles apply equally to crane installation on other vehicles, such as tractors
and trailers.
9. PHYSICAL STABILITY TESTING
After installation, physical testing is required. If a particular crane/truck combination has been tested,
physical testing of identical units is not required if the Certifying Officer is satisfied that such units will be
similarly stable.
9.1 Static Test
A load test is required to confirm that the SWL is less than 80% of the tipping load. One of the
following two methods may be used:
•
Apply an overload, equal to the SWL + 25% at maximum reach.
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•
Use the normal SWL with the truck positioned on a weighbridge, as shown in Figure 7, Appendix 4.
In this method, the ground load applied to the weighbridge is measured with and without load and
the
"with load" weight must be not less than 20% of the "without" load weight.
The second test method is appropriate when the crane overload protection system prevents the
required test overload, or makes it undesirable. For either test method, the test should be carried out
for all the relevant positions of operation. To pass the test, the truck should have at least one tyre on
the side opposite the load still in contact with the ground, even though the opposite stabiliser may have
lifted well clear of the ground. Note that when making a calculation (refer Figure 8, Appendix 5) of
stability, the 80% figure used in the physical test may not give sufficient margin. This is because:
•
Some weight assumptions have to be made which may be less than actual.
•
The calculation assumes a rigid chassis and, in practice, a flexible chassis will allow wheels to lose
contact with the ground well before overturning occurs. Experience has shown that calculations
should be based on a SWL figure of 66.6% of tipping load (i.e. a 50% overload).
9.2 Dynamic Test
The AS 1418 Part 11 procedure requires that the crane is operated through all its normal movement
range with a load of SWL + 10%
10. RECORDING
It is not feasible in this code to cover every aspect of analysis that might be necessary in a modification
to fit a slewing lifting system. However, in the Appendices of this document are:
•
Appendix 7 - Pro-Forma Modification Report Sheet, Truck Mounted Lifting Systems. This form,
completed in full, should be retained by the Certifying Officer.
•
Appendix Q1 which:
•
Summarises the scope of modification work which may be certified under this
Modification Code, and
•
Includes lists of Sections of this National Code of Practice covering other areas of the
vehicle which may have been affected by the modification and which should be analysed to
determine whether they, too, require re-certification.
•
Includes checklists appropriate to the particular Modification Code that should be completed.
It is suggested that records such as the analysis work, calculation sheets, sketches, vehicle
specification data, and the completed Check List be retained by the Certifying Officer for at least
the period specified in Part A of this National Code of Practice.
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Appendix 1
Sheet 1
Figure 1 — Typical Crane Mounting Positions
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Appendix 1
Sheet 2
Figure 2 — Typical Elevating Platform Positions
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Appendix 1
Sheet 3
Figure 3 — Typical Concrete Pump Illustrations
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Appendix 2
Figures 4 & 5 — Positions where stability is considered
Figure 4
Figure 5
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Appendix 3
Weight Distribution on Road
Figure 6. - Weight Distribution Example
Calculation of weight distribution for a truck loading crane requires determination of the C of G for the
various elements involved. These are normally available from truck and crane data sheets and an
outline diagram, to approximate scale, will simplify the process. This is also a useful aid to checking body
length and any other dimensions that may be critical. The example shown is for a typical crane mounted
behind cab on a 2 axle truck.
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Appendix 4
Figure 7 — Stability Test using Weighbridge
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Appendix 5
Figure 8 - Stability Calculation Example
Behind Cab Mount-Side/Rear Position Shown
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Appendix 6
Sheet 1
Figures 9, 10 & 11 - Lifting Attachment to Chassis
Figure 9. - Subframe reinforcement under mounting
Figure 10. - Subframe end on chassis top flange
Figure 11. - Locating stops on sub frame
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Appendix 6
Sheet 2
Figure 12 — Full Length Sub frame Examples
Figure 13 — Short Sub frame Example
Figure 14 — Non Preferred Sub frame Cross Members
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Appendix 6
Sheet 3
Figures 15 - Lifting System Attachment to Chassis
Recommended Practices
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Appendix 6
Sheet 4
Figures 16 & 17 - Lifting System Attachment to Chassis
Figure 16 - Lifting System Mounting- Not Recommended
Figure 17 - Lifting System Mounting - Not Acceptable
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Appendix 7
Report Sheet
Truck Mounted Lifting Systems
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Appendix Q1
Modification Code Q1
INSTALLATION OF TRUCK MOUNTED LIFTING SYSTEMS - SLEWING
Modifications that are covered under this Modification Code are:
1.
Reinforcement of a truck chassis for the purpose of fitting a truck loading system.
2.
Installation of a truck loading system - slewing.
Modifications that are not covered under this Modification Code are:
1.
Cutting of the chassis to facilitate the installation of a truck loading crane.
2.
Installation of a loading system that is not certified by the supplier as complying with the
requirements of the Crane & Hoist Code AS 1418 Part 1and Part 2.
NOTE: The modified vehicle/modifications must continue to comply with all applicable ADR's,
Australian Standards and Regulations/Acts.
Outlined below are areas of the vehicle that may have been affected by the modifications and that
may require recertification, testing and/or data to show compliance of the modified vehicle.
DETAIL
REQUIREMENTS
Chassis Alterations
Modification Code H4
PTO Fitting
Modification Code G6
Remounting of Body
Modification Code J1
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Checklist for Modification Code Q1
INSTALLATION OF TRUCK MOUNTED LIFTING SYSTEMS - SLEWING
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